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United States Patent |
5,186,958
|
Schmidt
|
February 16, 1993
|
Industrial equipment for manufacturing compression moldings
Abstract
An arrangement for manufacturing compression moldings in which at least two
compressing lines and two tool-changing carriages are provided. Each
compressing line has a molding press located between loading and unloading
mechanisms. The tool-changing carriages travel on a horizontal rail back
and forth across the compressing lines. A platform travels up and down on
each tool-changing carriage, and a shaft is provided upstream of each
molding press on a tool-changing side for positioning and centering the
platform.
Inventors:
|
Schmidt; Klaus (Dortmund, DE)
|
Assignee:
|
Hoesch Maschinenfabrik Deutschland AG (Dortmund, DE)
|
Appl. No.:
|
716705 |
Filed:
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June 18, 1991 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Jun 19, 1990[DE] | 900685[U] |
Current U.S. Class: |
425/193; 100/918; 425/195 |
Intern'l Class: |
B29C 039/04; B29C 039/22; B29C 045/17 |
Field of Search: |
425/190,195,193,182
100/918
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
4273738 | Jun., 1981 | Spengler | 425/193.
|
4648825 | Mar., 1987 | Heil et al. | 425/195.
|
4702685 | Oct., 1987 | Fruntzek | 425/182.
|
4737095 | Apr., 1988 | Hehl | 425/195.
|
4810182 | Mar., 1989 | Groll | 425/190.
|
4880792 | Nov., 1989 | Yoshioka et al. | 100/918.
|
4902214 | Feb., 1990 | Min | 425/195.
|
4952131 | Aug., 1990 | Shirai et al. | 425/190.
|
5002711 | Mar., 1991 | Iwama et al. | 425/193.
|
5040965 | Aug., 1991 | Baird | 100/918.
|
5061169 | Oct., 1991 | Yamashiro et al. | 425/190.
|
5063648 | Nov., 1991 | Yonezawa et al. | 425/190.
|
5114330 | May., 1992 | Nielsen | 425/195.
|
Primary Examiner: Hoag; Willard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fogiel; Max
Claims
I claim:
1. An arrangement for manufacturing compression moldings, comprising: at
least two compressing lines and two tool-changing carriages; loading means
and unloading means in each compressing line; a molding press between said
loading means and said unloading means; a horizontal rail, and
tool-changing carriages traveling on said horizontal rail back and forth
across said compressing lines; a platform traveling up and down each
tool-changing carriage; a shaft upstream of each said molding press on a
tool-changing side for positioning and centering said platforms.
2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, including scissoring elevating
means on each tool-changing carriage.
3. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, including positioning rollers and
four supporting structure associated with each said shaft.
4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said platforms has four
centering bolts.
5. An arrangement for manufacturing compression moldings, comprising: at
least two compressing lines and two tool-changing carriages; loading means
and unloading means in each compressing line; a molding press between said
loading means and said unloading means; a horizontal rail, said
tool-changing carriages traveling on said horizontal rail back and forth
across said compressing lines; a platform traveling up and down on each
tool-changing carriage; a shaft upstream of each said molding press on a
toll-changing side for positioning and centering said platform; elevating
means on each tool-changing carriage and comprising scissor means;
positioning rollers and four supporting structures associated with said
shaft; and four centering bolts on each platform.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to industrial equipment for manufacturing compression
moldings and with at least two adjacent compressing lines and two
tool-changing carriages, whereby each compressing line contains a molding
press between a loading device and an unloading device and whereby the
tool-changing carriages travel back and forth across the compressing lines
on a horizontal rail.
Equipment of this type is state of the art.
The tools are replaced by advancing them along and across the compressing
lines in a horizontal plane at the same level as the mold supports and the
tool accommodations in the traveling tool-changing carriages.
The presses in equipment of this type are relatively far apart to allow the
tools in one to be replaced without impeding the operation of one of its
neighbors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to improve equipment of the
aforesaid type to the extent that, even though the presses are relatively
close together, the tools in one can be replaced without impeding the
operation of a neighbor.
This object is attained in accordance with the invention by a shaft
upstream of each press on the tool-changing side for positioning and
centering a platform that travels up and down on each tool-changing
carriage.
Each tool-changing carriage has an elevating mechanism that scissors.
Four positioning rollers and four supporting structures are associated with
each shaft in accordance with another characteristic of the invention.
Each platform has four centering bolts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be specified with reference to the drawing, which is
a schematic representation of one embodiment.
FIG. 1 illustrates industrial equipment with a view of a tool-changing
device and a section through a the cover on a shaft,
FIG. 2 is a larger-scale partial section along the line II-II in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a partial view in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 2
before retraction of a tool from a press, and
FIG. 4 is a similar view once the tool has been retracted.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Industrial compression-molding equipment 1 has two adjacent compressing
lines 2 and 3. Each line comprises a conveyor 4 and 5 for advancing the
sheet 6, a furnace 7 and 8 for heating it, a loading mechanism 9 and 10, a
hydraulic press 11 and 12, an unloading mechanism 13 and 14, a cooler 15
and 16 for the moldings 17, another conveyor 18 and 19 for advancing the
cool moldings, and a tool-changing device 20.
The presses are a distance 21 apart (FIG. 2). Sheet 6 is made of
thermoplastic.
Tool-changing device 20 comprises two identically designed tool-changing
carriages 22 and 23, each with a drive mechanism 24 and 25 and a platform
26 and 27 that travels up and down.
Each tool-changing carriage 22 and 23 has a scissoring mechanism 28 and 29
for raising and lowering a platform 26 and 27.
Tool-changing carriages 22 and 23 travel across compressing lines 2 and 3
on a horizontal rail 30.
Upstream of each hydraulic press 11 and 12 is a shaft 32 and 33 on
tool-changing side 31, each with four positioning rollers 34, 35, 36, & 37
and 38, 39, 40, & 41 and four supporting structures 42, 43, 44, & 45 and
46, 47, 48, & 49.
Rollers 34 to 41 position the elevated platforms 26 and 27 at a distance 50
from mold supports 51 and 52.
Supporting structures 42 to 49 center the elevated platforms along the rail
(in the direction indicated by double-headed arrow 54) and perpendicularly
(in the direction indicated by double-headed arrow 54).
The hydraulic press 11 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a tool 63 that
rests against mold support 51 and needs to be replaced with another tool
64, on tool-changing carriage 23.
Associated with each shaft 32 and 33 is a cover 65 and 66. Shaft cover 65
is raised and lowered along with each platform 26 and 27 while the tool is
changed.
At the beginning of the tool-changing process, the platform 26 on
tool-changing carriage 22 is elevated slightly above the level of mold
support 51, the four centering bolts 55, 56, 57, and 58 are forced out,
platform 26 is centered by lowering it onto supporting structures 42, 43,
44, & 45, and tool 63 is secured to a cylinder 67 that travels back and
forth on the platform (FIG. 3).
Tool 63 is then removed from mold support 51 to platform 26 by traveling
cylinder 67 and a displacing mechanism 68 (FIG. 4).
Platform 26 is then elevated slightly along with tool 63, centering bolts
55, 56, 57, and 58 are retracted, the platform is lowered along with the
tool, and tool-changing carriage 22 travels out of shaft 32 along with the
tool.
Tool 64 is then advanced into shaft 32 along with tool-changing carriage 23
so that it can be positioned for displacement. Such a displacement
position on the part of tool 64 is comparable to the position of a tool 63
extracted out of hydraulic press 11 (FIG. 4).
Once tool 64 has arrived in the displacement position, it is forced off
platforms 27 and onto mold support 51 by a displacement cylinder 69 in
conjunction with a displacement mechanism 70.
Platform 27 and tool 64, which has been forced onto mold support 51, now
assume a position comparable to that of the platform 26 and tool 63 in
FIG. 3.
The bottom halves 71, 72, and 73 of the tools have positioning grooves 74,
75, and 76 around the middle.
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